Anticreeping device for railway-rails.



E. B. POWERS. ANTIOREEPING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1911.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

6 IZM; allo U 1 f w H \I 2, J 9 Mi 1 w u w WMMQI 155 I. I 51 J diw 077A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND B. POWERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO EMPIRE RAILWAY APPLIANCE CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov-.18, 1913.

Application filed September 12, 1911. Serial No. 648,961.

To all whom it may concern Be it knowri that I, EDMUND B. Pownns, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Anticreeping Devices for Railway-Rails, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to devices for bolding the rail against longitudinal movement, known as creeping, due to the passage of trains.

Tie-plates inserted at intervals between the rails and ties and fastened to the latter are largely employed in present railway construction. These are usually provided with abutments lying against the outer edge of the base-flange to aid in resisting lateral movement or spreading The object of my invention is to provide means in conjunction with such plates for engaging the rail and thus resisting its tendency to creep, and for automatically increasing such resistance as the rail moves.

Another important object is to provide for resisting such longitudinal movement of the rail in both directions, and for successfully reengaging after a reverse movement.

Another object of importance is to provide a device of this character which shall perform its functions reliably and alsobe simple in construction and application and capable of being manufactured and installed at a cost sufliciently low to permit its use economically.

The invention consists in certain novel features, and details of construction and arrangement by which the above objects are attained, to be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show an approved form of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion, of a railway showing the location of the dovi'ces relatively to the rails and ties. Fig. Qis a plan view on a larger scale, showing a tie-plate and a portion of a rail held by the device. Fig. 8 is a corresponding vertical section, taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2, and partly n elevation. Fig. 14 is a plan or top of the gripping roller, on a still larger scale. Fig. 5 is a corresponding elevation.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

A is the rail, shown as of standard type, having the base-flange A and B is a tieplate which may be in general construction of any ordinary or approved form with certain features changed or added to conform to the requirements of the invention and having the usual openings b b at each end for the reception of spikes D D by which the base-flange and plate are secured to the tie C.

B is an abutment produced on the upper face of the plate and adapted to lie against one edge, usually the outer edge, of the basefiange to prevent lateral movement or spreading. On the opposite end of the plate is a lug or rectangular boss B having its edge or face next adjacent to the base-flange separated a little distance from the latter and inclined at a slight angle relatively thereto. A movable member which may be a cylindrical pin or roller E is introduced into the angular space between the inclined edge of the lug and edge of the base-flange, so arranged relatively to the direction of creep as to cause the roller to crowd into the narrowing portion of the space by such movement and to wedge or grip tightly between the flange and lug and thus resist further movement.

In the complete form of the invention, as shown, the edge of the lug B has two oppositely inclined surfaces B B producing an obtuse angle or flattened V-form, and the roller is of such diameter as to fit tightly in the angle of the V and against the flange. Thus constructed, movements in either direes tion longitudinally, are resisted and immediate reengagement is insured after a. no verse movement of the rail from any cause. A shallow recess 6 formed in-the upper face of the plate and extending a short distance beneath the rail and the V-shaped face of the lug, serves to receive a flange E on the lower end of the roller E, which by engaging beneatli'the overhung margins of the base-flange and lug holds the roller from being withdrawn while permitting its movement. To increase the frictional engagement of the roller with the inclined surface and the rail, the roller is preferably grooved longitudinally to produce ridges or teeth E adapted to bite into the surfaces, and the roller is preferably case-hardened after such grooving operation to provide the required hardness to the teeth.

In applying the roller the tie-plate is placed in position, the roller inserted in the recess with its flange beneath the overhung margin of the lug, and in the angle of the V; the outer portion of the base-flange is engaged with the abutment B and the in ner portion of the base-flange is then forced down alongside the roller which is so pro portioned as to fit very snugly between the V and adjacent edge of the base-flange with the teeth E on opposite sides partially embedded in each. The tie-plate is then spiked to the tie. Thus arranged a slight longitudinal movement of the rail relatively to the tie-plate rotates the roller and forces it into the angular space in such engagement as to resist strongly any further movement in the same direction. A reverse movement of the rail moves the roller again into the V and, if continued, into engagement between the oppositely inclined portion of the V and the base-flange, and a second reversal of motion returns the roller to firm engagement in the same position as when first engaged.

It will be noted that a reversal of railmotion frees the rail only momentarily from the grip of the device, and leaves it conditioned to be engaged again automatically in the original position.

I claim 1. An anti-creeper for railway rails comprising a plate adapted to be interposed between a tie and a rail and provided on its upper side with an'abutme'nt and a recess on the inner side of said abutment, and a clamping member arranged in said recess and between said abutment and rail and adapted to be rolled on said abutment by the movement of the latter.

2. In a device of the character set forth, a tie-plate adapted to support a rail, means for holding said rail upon said plate, a'lug on said plate having an inclined face adjacent to such rail, and a rotatable member in the angular space between said inclined face and rail and engaging the base-flange of the rail.

3. In a device of the character set forth, a tie-plate adapted to support a rail, an abutment for the outer face of the base-flange of such rail, a lug on said plate, having an inclined face adjacent to the inner face of such base-flange, and a rotatable member in the angular space between said inner face and inclined face and adapted to engage said inclined faces and the inner face of the base-flange of the rail.

4. In a device of the character set forth, a tie-plate adapted to support a rail, an abut ment for the outer face of the base-flange of such rail, a lug on said plate, having an inclined face adjacent to the inner face of such base-flange, a cylindrical roller in the angular space between said inner face and inclined face and adapted to engage said inner and inclined faces, and means for holding said roller against vertical movcment.

5. In a device of the character set forth, a tieplate adapted to support a rail, an abutment for the outer face of the base-flange of such rail, a lug on said plate, having an inclined face adjacent to the inner face of such base-flange, a cylindrical roller in the angular space between said inner face and inclined face and adapted to engage said inner and inclined faces, a flange on said roller, and means engaged with said flange for holding said roller against vertical movement.

6. In a device of the character set forth, a tie-plate adapted to support a rail, an abutment for the outer face of the base-flange of such rail, a lug on said plate, having an inclined face adjacent to the inner face of such base-flange, a cylindrical roller in the angular space between said inner face and inclined face and adapted to engage said inner and inclined faces, said tie-plate having a recess above which said inner face and inclined face project, and a flange on said roller received in said recess and engaged beneath the overhung portions of said baseflange and lug for holding said roller against withdrawal.

7. In a device of the character set forth, a tie-plate adapted to support a rail, means for holding said rail upon said plate a lug on said plate having its face inclined in opposite directions relatively to said rail in the form of an obtuse angle and adjacent to said rail, and a rotatable member in the space between said face and rail in direct engagement with the base-flange of rail. 110

8. In a device of the character set forth, ax tie-plate adapted to support a rail, an abutment for the outer face of the base-flange of such rail, a lug on said plate, having its face inclined in opposite directions relatively to the inner face of such base-flange, in the form of an obtuse angle, and a rotatable member in the space between said inner face and inclined face and adapted to engage said inclined faces and the inner face of the base-flange of the rail.

9. In a device of the character set forth, a tie-plate adapted to support a rail, an abutment for the outer face of the base-ti: i of such rail, a lug on said plate having its face inclined in opposite directions relatively to the in 1' fa of such base'flange, in the form of an obtuse angle, a cylindrical roller in the space between said inner face and in clined face and adapted to engage said in- '180 ner and inclined faces, and means for holdengage said inner and inclined faces, and ing said roller against Withdrawal. means for holding said roller against With- 10. In a device of the character set forth, 1 drawal. a tie-plate adapted to support a rail, an In testimony that 1 claim the invention abutment for the outer face of the baseabove set forth I afiix my signature, in presflange of such rail, a lug on said plate, havence of two Witnesses. ing an inclined face adjacent to the inner EDMUND B. POWERS. face of such base-flange, a cylindrical roller in the angular space between said inner face 10 and inclined face, teeth on said roller to Witnesses:

CHARLES R. SEARLE, HELEN V. RICE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents eaeh,.by addressing the Commissiener of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

